John Mueller

★★★ Should you really care about the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?

Use a 301 redirect to indicate that the new page permanently replaces an old page. If the redirect is temporary or likely to change, use a 302 redirect. However, if a 302 redirect persists for a long ...

Feb 22, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can mobile pop-ups and interstitials really tank your Google ranking?

Interstitials and pop-ups that block content render a page non-mobile-friendly according to Google's mobile compatibility classifier, which can negatively impact its ranking in search results....

Feb 22, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really create a separate site for each country for your international SEO?

Creating a site for each country is not recommended if the content is not unique. Using hreflang does not guarantee a higher rank in the targeted country; it still requires strong and distinct content...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you disavow links to boost your Google ranking?

Disavowing links can be beneficial if your site is affected by a manual action due to unnatural links. However, this does not guarantee an improvement in ranking if the site depended on those links fo...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are affiliate links really harming your Google rankings?

It is not the affiliate links themselves that may lead to a lower ranking, but often the overall low quality level of affiliate sites. A high-quality affiliate site can still be well-ranked....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Google really ignore your rel=canonical and index a different version of your page?

Google may choose to index different versions of a URL based on available signals, even with a rel=canonical attribute, especially if the pages are not perceived as equivalent....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could UTM parameters really clutter your Google indexing?

Ensuring internal consistency is crucial for URL indexing. If UTM parameters and clean URLs are mixed, Google may index both variants, affecting how data is reported in Search Console....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How long does it really take to recover after a domain transfer?

A clean site migration with 301 redirects in place can be processed quickly by Google. However, significant changes require a complete reevaluation, extending the recovery time....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot preload internal links like a modern browser?

Googlebot treats each page visit as an initial visit, without preloading links. Thus, user preloading technologies do not affect Googlebot or rankings....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is Time to Interactive really a ranking factor for Google?

Performance metrics such as Time to Interactive are primarily focused on user experience rather than SEO. Google uses these metrics to get a holistic view of speed, but direct user experience takes pr...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really avoid combining domain migration and technical overhaul?

Making significant changes all at once, like switching to a new domain and new infrastructure, complicates Google's algorithms' tasks in stabilizing the site. This can lead to longer processing times ...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does lifting a manual penalty truly erase all negative traces from your rankings?

Once a manual action is resolved, it no longer affects the site. There is no mechanism for keeping the site sidelined after breaking the rules. However, if the site relied on unnatural links and they ...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can mobile ISP blocking really kill your SEO?

The main problem for SEO with ISP blocking is whether Googlebot is also blocked. If Googlebot is not blocked, the site can be indexed normally, but users who cannot access the site may indirectly impa...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can the X-Robots-Tag header prevent Googlebot from following a 301 redirect?

The HTTP X-Robots-Meta header does not block Google from following a 301 or 302 redirect. The nofollow attribute only applies to links on the page, and in the case of a server-side redirect, Google do...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is the Search Console API really slow, or is it a user-side issue?

It has been reported that prolonged wait times are being experienced for the Search Console API. This should not be common, and it is advised to implement user-side retry mechanisms until a resolution...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does UX really boost SEO rankings or is Google just sidestepping the issue?

UX recommendations are not direct ranking factors, but improving user experience can indirectly positively affect positioning through more engaging content....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could UTM parameters be undermining your Google indexing?

If the versions of pages with UTM parameters are predominantly linked internally, this can send mixed signals regarding which version to index. To avoid unnecessary crawling of different paths, it's r...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How long does a website migration really take in Google's eyes?

A straightforward transfer from one domain to another is generally handled quickly if 301 redirects are correctly set up, but significant changes require a reevaluation of the site, which can take lon...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot really load your site as an anonymous user every time it visits?

With every visit from Googlebot, the page loads as if it's a first-time visit, without retaining cookies or session state. No prior loading (prefetching) affects Googlebot, but it can speed up the use...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really optimize Lighthouse if users find your site fast?

Lighthouse speed metrics are primarily focused on user experience. For SEO, user experience is what matters most, so if your site seems fast to users, you are probably in good shape....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available